Imagine it’s the year 2055, and you have been hired to build a new space business.
Your mission: create a model of a hotel orbiting Earth for space tourists, a Moon habitat for astronauts, or a robotic asteroid mining station.
What will your business be?
The leading theory is that the Moon formed from a ring of debris after a large object collided with the early Earth. This debris eventually combined to form the Moon.
Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet astronaut, became the first human to orbit Earth on April 12, 1961, aboard the Vostok I spacecraft. This moment was a major milestone in the Space Race.
In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts captured stunning photos of Earth, including the famous "Earthrise" image. These photos changed how people saw their planet.
The U.S. landed astronauts on the Moon with the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.
Mining asteroids could provide essential materials, like precious metals and water ice, for construction, fuel, or supporting life in space. This could reduce reliance on Earth's materials and make deep-space exploration more sustainable.
Blue Origin's New Shepard capsule is designed for suborbital space tourism, offering people a chance to experience weightlessness and see Earth from above.
Lots of platinum, which is often used in electronics and medical devices, can be found on asteroids. Space mining could make platinum more accessible in the future.
Space planes like the Virgin Galactic VSS Unity are designed for short trips to space, giving tourists a unique view of Earth.
Scientists at the European Space Agency are testing ways to use lunar soil—called regolith—to 3D-print Moon homes layer by layer using giant space printers. These homes will protect astronauts from radiation, extreme temperatures, and space dust, all while saving energy and materials.
Create a model of a hotel orbiting Earth for space tourists, a Moon habitat for astronauts, or a robotic asteroid mining station.
A floating hotel for tourists
A cozy home on the Moon for astronauts
A robotic station that digs asteroids for metals, water, and fuel
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